Forum Discussion

MatildeC_1993's avatar
MatildeC_1993
SMARTY Pioneer
10-01-2025

I can't receive text messages from and to Italy

Hi everyone,

I’m having trouble sending and receiving text messages to and from Italy.

This is quite important as I need this service to receive texts from my Italian bank. I’ve already contacted Smarty customer support, but unfortunately, they weren’t helpful. I also reached out to Apple support, and since iMessage is working fine, they suggested the issue lies with my carrier.

Has anyone experienced a similar issue and found a solution?

Thank you in advance for your help!

13 Replies

  • MSF's avatar
    MSF
    SMARTY Guru
    10-01-2025

    MatildeC_1993  Text messages to Italy will not be included in your Smarty plan as that constitutes International use.

    As SmartyTrousers advises, you will need credit to pay for any such use.

    Another potential problem I foresee is that many banks send messages on short code numbers and Smarty does not support a reply to such a number.

    • MatildeC_1993's avatar
      MatildeC_1993
      SMARTY Pioneer
      13-01-2025

      Thank you for your reply. I do have an out of plan add on to send texts to Italy. I can’t receive texts from my family and friends either, it’s not just a problem with the bank. 

       

      The smarty customer service didn’t help at all. 

      • MSF's avatar
        MSF
        SMARTY Guru
        13-01-2025

        MatildeC_1993  OK, so we have established why you cannot send international texts.

        As far as receiving them -are those people definitely sending the texts to +447xxx xxxxxx ?

  • SmartyTrousers's avatar
    SmartyTrousers
    SMARTY Centurion
    10-01-2025

    As for sending texts to an Italian number, have you added some credit to your Smarty account? International texts are not included with any Smarty tariffs, so you will need additional credit on your account.

    As for receiving them from your Italian bank, could it not just be the case that the bank will only send texts to an Italian number?

    • MatildeC_1993's avatar
      MatildeC_1993
      SMARTY Pioneer
      13-01-2025

      Hi, thank you for answering! 
      I have an out of plan add on to send international text messages. I can’t receive or sent texts to Italian numbers in general, including my family and friends there. It’s not just an issue with the bank (which can still send texts to international numbers anyways)